WHEN WE FAIL
People's skills are interesting. I remember when I found out that a co-worker of my spoke French -- I thought that was wonderful. Or when you discover that someone you know is a talented mandolin player, or something equally unusual.
Maybe I'm revealing a little too much about myself, and my propensity to pick people apart to find the entertaining bits, but, as much as I find people's talents interesting, I want to know about what they quit doing even more.
I don't mean that in a "before they were famous" celebrity nonsense. I mean, stories about how one of your best friends was a gymnast for 10 years and gave it up and didn't think that story was interesting enough to tell you until one long night, it comes out.
Is it the wasted potential? Is it the thought that, in an alternate universe maybe, you would have wound up friends with a rock star? Maybe. But mostly, I like to hear the story of why they quit. Did they just stop one day? Did it all become too much?
Maybe I'm revealing a little too much about myself, and my propensity to pick people apart to find the entertaining bits, but, as much as I find people's talents interesting, I want to know about what they quit doing even more.
I don't mean that in a "before they were famous" celebrity nonsense. I mean, stories about how one of your best friends was a gymnast for 10 years and gave it up and didn't think that story was interesting enough to tell you until one long night, it comes out.
Is it the wasted potential? Is it the thought that, in an alternate universe maybe, you would have wound up friends with a rock star? Maybe. But mostly, I like to hear the story of why they quit. Did they just stop one day? Did it all become too much?
